Is It Illegal to Relocate Wildlife in California?

As a resident of California, you will have to deal with wildlife infestation sooner or later. It can be a naughty raccoon living in your attic, an opossum hiding away in a dark place, or a poisonous snake in your backyard.

In such situations, you may want to capture and relocate the animal yourself to avoid trouble. However, doing so will have some serious consequences.

After all, the state law made it illegal to relocate wildlife in California.

Today, we will explore the California wildlife relocation law and uncover why the state made it illegal to relocate wildlife.

Let’s dive in.

Relocating Wildlife is Illegal in California

Relocating wildlife is illegal and highly discouraged in many states, including California. According to California state law, if you have trapped wildlife like raccoons or skunks with the intention of relocation, you must stop your actions.

Plus, you need to release them at their original location of capture. If you fail to do that, you will have to pay a fine of up to $2,000 as a punishment. 

If your violation of relocation law is particularly severe, you may be punished with one year of imprisonment in the county jail.

So, avoid trapping or relocating wildlife in California unless you have the proper license. If you notice a dangerous wildlife animal in your vicinity, it’s wise to contact certified wildlife removal services instead.

Why Did California Law Make Trapping and Relocating Wildlife Illegal?

The state law made trapping and relocating wildlife illegal to protect both you and the wildlife. Without relevant experience or a license, the process of trapping and relocation can be highly dangerous.

You can get injured yourself and harm wildlife in the process. And that’s not something the state of California wants to see.

Here are a few reasons why relocating wildlife is illegal in California:

1. It Doesn’t Solve the Root Problem

The wildlife intrusion in your area may have occurred due to a specific resource or reason. For example, they are probably here because of the availability of food or shelter.

So, even if you forcibly trap and relocate them, it wouldn’t matter. New wildlife will soon replace them.

Why?

Because the things that attracted them to your vicinity are probably still there. As you can see, forcibly relocating wildlife animals a few times won’t work as long as the root cause remains unsolved.

2. Increased Wildlife Mortality Rate

According to a recent study, relocating wildlife randomly may reduce these animals’ chances of survival by up to 50%. And the majority of relocated animals, who had perished, died within the first three months of relocation.

Most relocated animals often struggle to adapt to their new environment. They usually find it incredibly difficult to acquire food, water, and shelter. Additionally, they must compete with native animals for resources crucial to their survival.

Unfortunately, most of the time, they fail to do so and perish

3. The Risk of Potential Disease Spread

Wild animals often carry several types of germs that can easily spread certain diseases. For example, raccoons usually carry germs of rabies, leptospirosis, canine distemper, and other diseases.

If you accidentally relocate an infected wild animal to a new place, it may infect the native species with deadly diseases. If some of the zoonotic diseases spread too much, even humans can be affected by them.

What Should You Do If You See Wildlife Near Your Home?

As you can see, relocating wildlife yourself is not a good choice. Plus, it’s illegal. So, here’s what you should do if you find wild animals near your home instead of relocating the animal yourself:

1. Get Rid of Elements That Might Attract Them to Your Home

As mentioned earlier, the wild animals are coming to your vicinity because they are being attracted by something. For example, if you have excess food, garbage, or rough shelters in your backyard, they may attract wild animals to your house.

Try to get rid of them and make your home as unattractive to the wildlife as possible. This may solve the wildlife infestation problem to some degree.

2. Get in Touch with Licensed Wildlife Removal Experts

If you see one or more unwanted wildlife in your vicinity or backyard, you should immediately contact or visit the website of the licensed wildlife trapping and removal services.

Certified wildlife removal specialists can remove the unwanted wild animals or insects from your home or office without harming them. Plus, they can even release the captured wildlife in a wild environment perfectly suitable for them.

The entire process will be quick, humane, and cruelty-free.

Conclusion

By now, you should understand that relocating wildlife is illegal in California. The state law highly discourages it. If you get caught violating this rule, you will be punished with a hefty fine and up to one year in jail.

So, don’t try to relocate wild animals on your own. The law is there to protect you and the wild animals from harm.

Instead, you should contact a licensed wildlife removal specialist as soon as you discover wild animals or harmful insects near your home.

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